Day: October 23, 2021

Categories : Gastrointestinal Mental HealthTags :

Gut Inflammation and Mental Health Link

On By ModernMedia
Image by Falkurian Design on Unsplash

Using mouse models, scientists have discovered a link between gut inflammation and mental comorbidities. In response to gut inflammation like that caused by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), they observed that the vascular barrier in the brain choroid plexus closes, clamping down access to the brain. The findings were published in Science.

Though this gut-brain vascular axis deregulation is likely a protective mechanism for the brain against inflammation, the findings suggest it may also result in the various cognitive and psychiatric symptoms that are occasionally associated with IBD.

Usually associated with intestinal inflammation, IBD can also cause a wide variety of symptoms in other organs. There is a robust link between anxiety and IBD; up to 40% of patients with IBD also present with psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety or depression. While the gut-brain axis is thought to be involved in driving these symptoms, no other related mechanisms are currently known.

Using a mouse model of intestinal inflammation, Sara Carloni and colleagues identified a potential pathogenic link between IBD and its associated mental comorbidities. According to the findings, the gut vascular barrier becomes more permeable due to the inflammatory process, which allows inflammation to spread beyond the intestines.

In response to this spread, the vascular barrier in the choroid plexus of the brain shuts down, which helps to protect the brain from inflammation. However, in doing so, the process also potentially impairs communications between organs and may hinder brain function.

In a mouse model of genetically driven closure of choroid plexus endothelial cells, Carloni and colleagues observed a deficit in short-term memory and anxiety-like behaviour. Thus, the mental deficits observed alongside IBD may result from deregulation of the gut-brain vascular axis, the authors said. This finding could be used for the development of therapeutic targets in treating some behavioural disorders.

Source: News-Medical.Net

Categories : Metabolic Disorders PaediatricsTags :

Sleep is Also Important in Avoiding Overweight in Babies

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Danijel Durkovic on Unsplash

While the importance has long been known, little research has examined the necessity of sufficient sleep during the first months of life. New research suggests that newborns who sleep longer and wake up less throughout the night are less likely to be overweight in infancy. Their results are published in Sleep.

“While an association between insufficient sleep and weight gain is well-established in adults and older children, this link has not been previously recognized in infants,” said study co-author Susan Redline, MD, MPH, senior physician in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at the Brigham. “In this study, we found that not only shorter nighttime sleep, but more sleep awakenings, were associated with a higher likelihood of infants becoming overweight in the first six months of life.”

To conduct this research, Dr Redline and colleagues observed 298 newborns born at Massachusetts General Hospital between 2016 and 2018. The infants’ sleep patterns were monitored using ankle actigraphy watches – devices that measure patterns of activity and rest over multiple days. Researchers obtained three nights’ worth of data at the one- and six-month marks while parents kept sleep diaries, recording their children’s sleep and wake episodes.

Scientists measured infant height and weight and determined their body mass index, classifying infants as overweight if they fell into or above the 95th percentile on the World Health Organization’s growth charts.

Notably, researchers found that just one extra hour of sleep was associated with a 26% decrease in overweight risk. Additionally, infants that woke up less during the night faced a lower risk of excess weight gain. Scientists speculate that having more sleep promotes routine feeding practices and self-regulation, factors that mitigate overeating.

Investigators noted an underrepresentation of African-American individuals and lower-income families in their dataset. Additionally, confounding variables, such as breastfeeding duration, could have impacted infant growth. In the future, the researchers aim to extend this study to evaluate how sleep patterns impact growth within the first two years of life and identify key factors that mediate the correlation between sleep and weight gain. They also aim to evaluate interventions for promoting healthy sleep habits.

“This study underscores the importance of healthy sleep at all ages,” said Dr Redline. “Parents should consult their pediatricians on the best practices to promote healthy sleep, like keeping consistent sleep schedules, providing a dark and quiet space for sleeping, and avoiding having bottles in bed.”

Source: EurekAlert!

Categories : Respiratory DiseasesTags :

Distinct Lower Airways Bacterial Profile inChildren with Cystic Fibrosis

On By ModernMedia
Phot by Ben Wicks on Unsplash

In children with cystic fibrosis (CF), their lower airways have a higher burden of infection, more inflammation and lower diversity of microorganisms, compared to children with other illnesses who also have lung issues, researchers have found. They noted a clear divergence in these bacterial communities in toddlers, before progressive lung disease manifests in CF patients. 

Their findings, published in the journal PLOS ONE, could help providers target specific pathogens earlier, treat them and potentially prevent more severe lung disease.

As lead author Jack O’Connor, at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago explained, “We compared lower airway samples from bronchoscopy in children with CF and disease controls across the age spectrum, and used genetic sequencing to identify microorganisms, finding that a few common cystic fibrosis pathogens begin to dominate at very early ages. Such a clear split from disease controls in this young age group has not been shown before. Our findings deepen our understanding of the disease trajectory in cystic fibrosis and could help improve outcomes through earlier intervention.”

Chronic airway infection and inflammation which leads to progressive, obstructive lung disease is the main cause of illness and death in people with cystic fibrosis.

Researchers tested lower airway samples from 191 patients (63 with cystic fibrosis) aged 0-21 years. The disease controls included patients with diverse conditions, such as cancer, immune deficiency and pneumonia. Using genetic sequencing, researchers were able to identify distinct pathogens that are more dominant at different ages in patients with cystic fibrosis.

“Establishing key age-related differences in lower airway bacterial communities and inflammation in patients with CF, especially during early childhood, may give us a window of opportunity for earlier and more precise treatment,” said senior author Theresa Laguna, MD, MSCS, Division Head of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine at Lurie Children’s and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “If we can prevent worse infections, we could improve the quality of life and potentially expand the life expectancy of patients with CF.”

Source: News-Medical.Net